The Magnolia Vase was Tiffany & Company's most prominent silver entry at the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. Native and Latin American sources inspired the form, which was derived from Pueblo pottery, and the ornament for the handles, which relates to Toltec artifacts. Plant motifs represent various sections of the United States: pine typifies the North; magnolia, the Southeast; and cacti, the Southwest. Standing for the whole country and applied in gold is the ubiquitous goldenrod.

Inscription: [chased (?) on underside]: This Enameled Silver Vase / manufactured by Tiffany & Co. for exhibition / at the Columbian Exposition has been / presented to / the / Metropolitan / Museum of Art / by the purchaser a lover of Art / whose identity / will be / disclosed and / name added to this inscription / by Tiffany and Co. / on receipt of the donor's permission / 1899